Tag: welcome

I’m starting this site to help share my thoughts, knowledge and wisdom for a healthy lifestyle. It’s always been important to me to instill good health upon others, and every day I strive to practice what I preach.

My interest in nutrition seems to have always had a strong presence. From a young age, I can remember having a huge appreciation for fresh fruits & veggies.

My mother used to raid the fridge every night for what ever produce she could find, chop everything all up, throw it on a platter and set it on the dinner table while she prepared our meal. My little sister and I would ravenously devour everything, while my mother scolded us from the kitchen “Stop eating all the veggies! You’ll ruin your appetite!” Special dessert requests at my grandmother’s home would always be frozen sour cherries or strawberries, or what ever freshly picked fruit she’d just plucked from the garden.

My grandparents had massive gardens which contained pretty much everything you could imagine: grapes, sweet corn, potatoes, beans, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, an apple orchard, pear trees, broccoli, asparagus…the list goes on and on. I have fond memories of running through the rows, plucking carrots out of the ground for a quick snack, then hopping on my Big Wheel with my sister in tow. Dinners were bountiful, with most of the food either coming from her garden or a friend or family member’s. They love to recount the tale of me as a toddler in the spring time excitedly discovering her gardens for the time and exclaiming to my mother “Mamma! Gramma’s got a grocery store in her back yard!!”

Always playing outdoors. Myself at 3 years old, fascinated by the flowers in Grandma’s gardens

Growing up, I thought this was typical for everyone my age to have access to such healthy food. It wasn’t until later on that I questioned why some kids would tease me for not bringing soda or junk food in my lunchbox. I would get excited to find an Ida Red apple in my pack (my favourite apple!) or carrot sticks, and they would question why I didn’t have a “Lunchable” like everyone else. The kids who routinely found candy bars in their lunchboxes were popular because they’d share with everyone, but I always remember thinking that my parents would never do anything like that unless it were Halloween — and even then, I’d still get sick of the candy and long for my apple. Looking back, I’m glad I wasn’t eating that junk day in day out, as all of these kids ended up having health problems later on, and ballooned in size.

Which brings me primarily to why I chose a career in nutrition: parents nowadays don’t seem to be educated enough when it comes to preparing healthy meals for their children. The childhood obesity epidemic is frightening, with kids becoming larger and sicker at an alarming rate. What’s worse, is that bigger kids are slowly becoming the norm, with society beginning to accept overly-pudgy children and not insisting they get more exercise or even put down the fork. For the first time ever in humanity’s history, studies are showing that parents may start to outlive their children.

It’s up to us NOW to shape our future, and ensure that our offspring will live long, prosperous, healthy lives. Kids learn from watching their elders, so we need to set them right and lead by example. If we teach them right from wrong at a young age, they’re more likely to be accustomed to healthy habits that they can practice for the rest of their lives.